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Page Two WOLVERINE OBSERVER MARCH-APRIL, 1961 WOLVERINE OBSERVER STAFF 1960-61 Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Associate Editors-— Calvin N. Mathes Donald J. Wilson Robert White Willie F. Carmicheal Gloria King Joseph Boyce Sports Editor Jerome Bullard Assistant Sports Editor Norris Gundy Secretary-typist Emma Durham Business Manager —.Arthur Foster, Jr. Advertising Manager Dolores Johnson Circulation Manager Shirley Wakefield Typists Arthur Wilson Betty Dotson McKinley Harris Ella Flowers Reporters <. Robert L. Meadows, Roving Doris Perdue Gwendolyn Lucas Bobby Schley Dorothy McKissick Sharon Strickland Mary Boykin Betty Baldwin Efton Arnold Advisors Louise Hollowell, Chairman Beulah J. Farmer George T. Johnson Betsy Horne Vera Benton Ola Adams Member of the Intercollegiate Press CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER By CALVIN N. MATHES Our fight for real freedom and human dignity has just begun. Man’s inhumanity to man, in the form of racial discrimination is so deeply entrenched in the society of the United States that it is mani fested in innumerable subtle ways. It crops out unconsciously as well as as consciously. In the Northern and Western sections of the U. S. the subtleness is superlative; which makes it even more diabolical and menacing to the long suffering Negro. In the South, the menace is more open, course and crude. Every college student becomes sharply aware of job opportunities as his graduation day draws near. The reality of job markets, new industrial plants, school legislation, and so forth, becomes of paramount im portance. To the Negro student, this reality becomes not only of paramount importance but carries what approaches, or is synonymous with, anxiety. This is due to the unique situation faced by the Negro on the employment market. While there have been great strides taken toward the freedom of unlimited employment opportunities for Negroes, the Negro is still limited in where he can obtain employment as well as in what field, or what segment or echelon of employment he may anticipate placing him self. The Negro laborer, in the textile mills, industrial plants and other places of employment in the South is yet a pawn to be exploited as "cheap labor” on the market of employment. The Negro laborer is still powerless in the more universal way of thinking. And so long as the majority of the Negroes remain in the position of receiving the lowest average wages in the country, especially in the South (of course), the socio-racial situation, which is so degrading internationally to the U. S. will remain the same. The white segregationists have a sterling device for keeping the “customs” intact. Negroes don’t get sufficient pay—the white supremists point to the Negroes’ low standards as a reason for keeping the Negro children out of the schools with the “supreme” white children—result, the perfect vicious circle. There is a new iron and steel industry planned for South Georgia. The new mill will be constructed in Georgetown, Georgia, on the Chat tahoochee River in Quitman County. The new industry is said to be the result of a $100,000,000 investment and will create employment for 5,000 people. How many of these will he Negroes? Some percentage of this number will undoubtedly be Negroes. Will the Negro worker be forced to continue as he has always? Georgia is becoming more industrialized as time goes by. The source of finance is out-of-state capital of Northern industrialists and Texas oilmen who have been scared from time to time by racial conflicts, i.e., the sit-in demonstrations and school desegregation issues. Now that local conditions are more calm (the natives are quiet), the industries continue to move in. Few of the students realize how much weight their protests carry. The students persuance of freedom through protest demonstrations should continue. Unfortunately, the thought of losing money can cause changes that would not happen despite many years of crusading minus the' economic element. Thus, the Negro college student will do well to be aware of the many facets of the present situation. Negro in particular — may play a creative role in abolishing the tendency toward status striving. He also stated his hopes that the Negro would not join in the rat race as they attain full freedom, but play a great role in regenerat ing the American way of life. He stated that Martin Luther King’s philosophy and method is a real creative breakthrough for minor ities of all kinds including those such as teachers and youth (in Dr. Benne’s opinion, the most dis favored). He said that Dr. King Historical Background of The Second Conference Of Independent African States (N.B. This is the first of the series of my articles on Africa.) His Emperial Majesty Haile Selassie I, Emporor of Ethiopia, opened the second historical con ference of Independent African States on June 14, 1960 in the Parliament Hall in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. The meet ing lasted for two weeks. I am sure the attention of the whole world was focused on this historic conference. The keynote of the dis cussions was a re-emphasis of the need for unity among African coun tries and the urgency of wiping out colonialism from the entire con tinent. The first conference, under the chairmanship of Tom Mboya, was held about three years ago and since then the trends of events, with their gratifying advances, have initiated the Independent African States Conference with the express purpose of planning, as a body, top level policy in Africa. The pioneers of the first conference were Ethi opia, Liberia, United Arab Repub lic, Su&an, Ghana, Tunisia, Moroc co and Libya. In this conference the spirit of Pan-African movement was accelerated, which gave a new impetus to Independent African States Confab at Addis Ababa. They were joined by their young sister states—Cameroon, Guinea, (Togoland unavoidably absent). And also Nigeria, The Federation of Mali, Somalia, Madagasrar and Siera Leone were then designated to be independent with dates definitely set. The Provisional Gov ernment of Algeria was a partici pant in the deliberations. The official statistics shows that the strength of the confab was over 250 delegates including observers from 20 African countries (11 of these were already independent). There were also more than 70 journalists and photographers. This in itself, with journalists and pho tographers representing the world press, was an indication of the im portance the whole world attached to the confab and also to Africa’s progress as a whole. The confab held six open sessions and five closed sessions; there were also various committee meetings. This illustrates the great strides that Africa has taken in a short period of time, which had led many historians in the past to predict that the decade of the 1960’s would be Africa’s momentous decade. “The confab at Accra in Ghanna, marked a significant stage. in the struggle towards freedom for all African peoples” declared Emperor Haile Selassis I, and the progress since achieved more than justifies the hope which we had all reposed in the confab. Events of the last three years have adequately demon strated, both directly and implicit ly, the enormous comulative effects o fthe first confab inside as well as outside Africa. By Andy: W. 0. Salutes First Editor and Staff This month, the Wolverine Oberserver of Morris Brown College, pauses to salute its first Editor-in-Chief, and its first staff. When in the year 1933 (circa) it was deemed necessary that Morris Brown College have an official student publication, a pioneering group of students came forth. As always the case with pioneers, they had their unique difficulties. But this did not deter these hardy souls. The first staff was much smaller than the present one. There were three of them and one advisor. The first editor was Mr. James C. Reese, who now resides in Way- cross, Georgia, and is Principal of Center High School, and Supervis ing Principal of Schools in that city. Mr. Reese was born in Wrightsville, Georgia. He received his A.B. degree at Morris Brown in 1938, his M.A. degree at Atlan ta University, and has done more) graduate work at Hampton Insti tute for the past several summers. Mr. Reese taught in summer school at Albany State and alsd at Atlanta University. He is also Vice President of the G.T.E.A. Mr. Reese is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity and was a member of Morris Brown’s base ball team. The Associate Editor was Mr. William Collins of Baltimore, Maryland. Mr. Collins is now de ceased. He passed not long after his graduation from Morris Brown! in 1938. The Business Manager was Mr. John Saunders, also a 1938 graduate of Morris Brown, who is now a lawyer in New York City. The advisor was Dr. C. V. Clinch who was Chairman of the English Department at that time. Though we yet have our trou- JAMES C. REESE THIS IS OUR LIFE By JOSPII BOYCE The human being tends towards equilibrium in all his attempts. What a complex being to under stand! What determinism! What an age old problem. This would mean that the individual who exhorts others to “obey God or go to hell” may be getting the satisfaction of knowing that he is helping others from their doom. The individual who then enters the fold of the exhortionist makes the exhorter feel that he has done his duty of winning one more soul from dam nation, but brother, is this so ? The instructor who is satisfied that his students have adhered to the calculations of “tests and meas urements” is proud of his accom plishments, but is the job really genuine ? A matron in college would meticulously follow the “rules of the college” keeping her wards under rigid surveillance, and she feels that her job is well done! This trend of thought seems to be a good mechanical device. But if this is in part, the fate of highly educated beings, beings who deeply within feel the pangs of self determinism, we must admit that something is radically wrong with our mode of thinking. The older heads say that they have the “ex perience to guide youth” but, does experience carry the denotation fo the correct method, if there be such a concept embodied in the reality of life, if there is such a thing as reality. Is this life an illusion or are we making an illusion out of life? Wherein lies the factor of hu manity? Is it in this unscrupulous web of determinism forced upon the lives of youth? If ever there was a murderous concept of life, j bles, we feel that that historoic and pioneering staff could take pride in the fact that we of the Wol verine Observer continue to uphold the high ideals that they upheld. They now hold a revered place in the annals of Morris Brown His tory. The Public Relations Committee of the Human Relations Club One means by which Morris Brown College is attempting to im prove race relations is through the Joseph Kaplan Human Relations Program, established here in the last two years. It aims to increase the individual’s effectiveness in his personal relationship, as well as his effectiveness in groups, organiza tional, and community life. The Human Relations Club is composed of students who are in terested in breaking down barriers and opening lines of communica tion among groups. Since inter group differences based on race is the largest single cause of group tension and personal maladjust ment here in the South, much of the program’s time and effort is concentrated in the area of improv ing race relations. The members of the club gain ex- TTT , ,, „ , perience in inter-group situations this is it. What s the use of psy- ; duri the school b tici chology, philosophy religion, m , ti jn local week . e nd work camps, fact, what s the use of education, if | by attendi the city > s int er-racial it cannot be realized N OW ? ch urch, and by helping the Greater We claim to be so much more | Atlanta Council on Human Rela . human than the lower animals, yqt tkms with its school integra tion oil txro ooorvi v/~v honn to tho “nloim ” I , | project. Many persons gam experi ence during the summer by attend ing work camps sponsored by the Dr. Benne Speaks (Continued from Page 1) society may even go to the point of sending their sons or daughters to the best schools with the major motive being to better prepare them to take their place as most able to be foremost in the rat race. Dr. Benne said that people who are caught in the flow of such a com munity life cannot see what is tak ing place. He revealed his hopes that minorities — and he spoke of the brings people back to their con science rather than taking them away from it (as some mass lead ers do). ! Dr. Benne spoke under the j auspices of the lecture series of the Sperry and Hutchinson Fund. He was also the coordinator of the Human Relations Workshop at Morris Brown College during January of 1960. A representative of the Sperry and Hutchinson Com pany was present as a platform guest. Dean P. E. Wilson presided over the occasion and President Frank Cunningham introduced the speaker (Dr. Benne). Excellent musical entertainment was provided by the Morris Brown choir. all we seem to have is the “claim How many of us honestly seek to j understand each other? How many of us are endowed with the dis- crimitory power which enables us to discern why a young generation becomes ‘a beat generation?’ The yoke is forced upon youth by un comprising adults who have been stepped upon by their foreparents and relatives (blood-related or not), this is a chain reaction, and youth will not, and must not blame op pressing adults. Youth must try to bear these hardships and try thrice as hard to avoid passing on this heritage, for he who steps upon another knows not what he does. He who gives his son a serpent when his son requests bread is a fool, but, shun him not, forgive him for he knows not even though he satisfies statistics commending his sanity. Archibald MacLeish, in the debate on the National Purpose: There are those, I know, who will say that the liberation of humanity, American Friends Service Commit tee and by the Lisle Fellowship Foundation. Among the chapel programs which were designed to illustrate the purpose of this organization, the club presented the National Program Director of the Anti-De formation League of B’nai B’rith, national and regional representa tives of the American Friends Serv ice, a Japanese student representa tive of the World Student Service and representative of the NAACP. The members and advisors of the club feel that they are making progress in getting people to work cooperatively together. The Public Relations Committee of the Human Relations Club. the freedom of man and mind, is nothing but a dream. They are right. It is. It is the American dream. —New York Times